Bathtub Cuddles
by sue-sylvester-shuffle
Summary: (Takes place around 4x3) Wu tries to comfort Mako after the firebender has a nightmare, and the two men realize that they have more in common than they ever knew. (SLIGHT WUKO.)


Prince Wu absolutely hated the Junior Suite.

Usually he and Mako got the Presidential Suite, which was as magnificent as it sounded. It had been reserved for them for as long as he could remember. But this time, they'd been booted out by this 'Kuvira' person. Who did she think she was? No one compared to _Prince Wu_ , that's who.

Probably the worst thing about the Junior Suite was that it only had one bed. Now, Wu wouldn't have minded sharing a bed with Mako, but his bodyguard evidently did. The firebender had gone to sleep in the bathtub, leaving Wu all alone in the main room. The thought of being alone scared the prince; he _knew_ that there were people out there who wanted to hurt him. That was why he had Mako, after all. He had to wonder; if there really _was_ an emergency, would he be able to reach his bodyguard in time?

Wu tried to push those thoughts from his mind as he crawled into bed that night. Despite how much he loved luxury, Wu also hated huge beds. They seemed… _empty,_ somehow. If he was going to sleep in such a big bed, he would want to be with someone else. It felt wrong to do it all alone.

 _I bet Mako's a cuddler,_ thought Wu wistfully. Thinking that only made him feel more lonely.

Sleep came surprisingly easy to him that night. He curled up under the thick blankets, and stared out the huge window on the wall until the starry night put him to sleep.

Later that night, however, Wu's full bladder woke him back up. "I should _not_ have drank all those virgin sangrias!" the prince muttered to himself, throwing off the blankets and getting up out of the bed.

He left the lights off as he went into the bathroom, not wanting to wake Mako, who he presumed was still asleep in the bathtub. However, just as he was pulling down his pyjama pants, a low groan shook Wu. Stifling a gasp, he pulled his pants back up and pressed himself low to the ground. That was what he'd always been taught; to hide.

It was then that Wu realized that the groan was coming from the bathtub. "Mako?" the prince whispered, concerned. He flicked on the lights. Mako was lying in the bathtub, completely asleep. His face was screwed up with fear, however. To Wu, it looked like he was having a nightmare.

" _Whew!_ For a second there, I thought you were hurt. And I couldn't have helped you there. I may be a pro at embroidery, but I don't know about stitching up cuts and whatnot. Oh, and I tend to faint when I see blood." Wu rambled on to himself as he knelt down beside his bodyguard, who was tossing and turning in his sleep. "That bathtub can't be too comfortable, can it? I wish you would have come to sleep with me in the bed. It's big enough for two."

In his sleep, Mako gave a little whimper. It was strange to see him look so scared. Wu was used to seeing Mako strong and emotionless. Seeing him looking like a lost child made Wu's heart ache. Slowly, he crawled into the bathtub beside his bodyguard. Mako stirred a little as Wu got in and settled beside him, but he soon stopped fidgeting. To Wu's delight, he seemed to calm down as well. _Maybe my presence is stopping his bad dreams,_ thought the prince hopefully. He snuggled into Mako's neck. Despite the bright bathroom lights above them, Wu was asleep again in no time.

It didn't last long, however. He woke up rather abruptly to the sound of Mako's angry voice. "...off me! Wu, what are you _doing_ in here?!"

Wu blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the light. "Mako! Why did you wake me up?" he asked as crossly as he could for someone who had just woken up.

The firebender looked uncomfortable. "Why are you in here? I thought you were going to sleep in the bed. Did something happen?"

"No. I'm fine. I just came in here to pee, and... well, you looked like you were having a bad dream." admitted Wu. "So I got into the bathtub to calm you down, and I just sort of fell asleep."

Mako's expression softened. "A bad dream?"

"Yes, you looked all scared, and you were thrashing around." explained the prince. "Why? _Were_ you having a bad dream?"

"Yeah." confessed Mako.

"Soooo? Do you want to talk about it?" asked Wu. "Sometimes it helps."

"It's fine." his bodyguard said tersely. "Talking about my personal life is not in my job description."

"Who _says_ it's not?" Wu pouted. "Basically, you're here to protect me. But when I don't need protection... we're just two friends, y'know? And friends talk about things. So go on. I don't mind."

Mako held his gaze for a few moments, and then sighed. "Okay. Well, uh... it was about my parents. Their death, specifically."

A pang of sadness struck Wu. "Oh, Mako... Your parents are dead?" he asked softly.

"Yeah. They were killed by a firebending criminal when I was eight. I saw the whole thing. My little brother Bolin and I lived on the streets for years."

"My parents are dead too." the prince replied. "My mother was of royal lineage. She would've been next to the throne after Zaheer killed my great-aunt, but... she died when I was really small. My dad died before I was born. So I do know how you feel."

Mako's eyes widened. "I didn't know that about you, Wu."

"Well, I didn't know about _your_ parents either."

"I guess we're both learning things tonight." murmured Mako. His tone sent a shiver up Wu's back. The prince leaned closer into his bodyguard.

"I guess so."

After a few moments, Mako asked, "So if your parents were dead, who raised you? Your great-aunt?"

"Nannies, mostly." Wu answered. "It was... it was pretty lonely."

The firebender nodded in acknowledgement. "I had to raise my brother. There was no time for me to be a child myself. I had Bolin, so I was never lonely, but... sometimes I felt like there was no one in the world who was on my side."

"That must've been hard. I can't imagine living on the streets." said Wu. "Y'know, we came from very different backgrounds, but... we're more alike than I thought."

"You're right." Mako agreed. "And, Wu? Thank you for comforting me. I appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure." responded the prince. "You're very cuddly, you know."

The other man's face turned bright red. "Okay," was all he said.

"Can I stay here tonight?"

"Okay."

Despite how big the bed in the other room was, no one slept there that night. Both Mako and Wu crammed themselves into the bathtub. It was cold without any blankets, but fortunately, the prince had been right about one thing; Mako was a cuddler.

end


End file.
